Here, at the very spot where Darren Burgess was gunned down last night, we’ve witnessed a growing tribute of flowers and balloons. Earlier, we saw a huge crowd. We heard multiple friends at tonight’s vigil say that Burgess wouldn’t want them to dwell in sadness. So, instead, this crowd did their best to bring a little of his light into what has become a very dark place.
In an Oak Cliff parking lot turned memorial, two families united to honor slain Dallas police officer Darron Burks, a man who left an indelible mark in both the fraternity brotherhood and the world of law enforcement.
"This crowd speaks highly of him, and everyone knows what Brother Burks stood for. He was a pure guy. He was very pure,” said Kenneth McCloud.
Dozens gathered in the For Oak Cliff parking lot on Friday for a candlelight vigil to remember Burks, who was gunned down just feet away less than a day before.
"It hurts. I think I'm cried out today,” said Fredrick Bishop.
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Bishop first met Burks through the brotherhood of their fraternity, Omega Psi Phi. Although they never crossed paths at Paul Quinn College, as alumni, they both shared a commitment to their fraternity's mission of service.
At a homecoming a couple of years ago, Bishop said that shared passion for helping others further bonded the friends when Burks sought Bishop’s help joining the Dallas Police Department.
After more than 20 years, Bishop is honorably retired from the force.
"He got to the point where he said, 'Let me see where I can do more,' and he wanted to serve more,” he said.
At Friday’s vigil, the men and women of Burks’s police academy class stood shoulder to shoulder with his fraternity brothers and those who knew him from his nearly two decades-long career as an educator and coach.
As they lit candles and shared stories and prayers, loved ones encouraged each other to focus on memories of good times rather than dwelling in sadness.
It’s just one of the ways they said their friend and brother would want to be remembered.
“Work to continue his vision. His vision of service to young people. His service to making a mark here in this city,” said Dallas City Councilmember Carolyn King Arnold.
